MOOSE JAW — City council has appointed three employees to act as development officers to ensure the zoning bylaw is effectively administered and that the delivery of services for development-related functions continues.
During its May 26 regular meeting, council named Kamran (Kam) Vosough, Jack Hodson and Cynthia Starchuk as development officers who will administer and enforce all aspects of the zoning bylaw, including land-use regulations and relevant development agreements.
Council used section 3.5 of the zoning bylaw as its authority to make the appointment.
Section 3.5 of the bylaw says, “Except for Section 11 of this bylaw, which shall be administered by the city’s building official, the development officer shall administer this bylaw.
“The development officer shall be the city engineer, the city planner, the manager of engineering services or any other employee of the city authorized in writing by the council to act as a development officer for the purposes of this bylaw and the act,” the section said.
“For the purposes of administering and enforcing Section 11, the building official shall have the same authority under the act as a development officer.”
Vosough is the new manager of planning and development, Hodson is a temporary planner 1 and Starchuk is an existing building official who will assume extra responsibilities.
“These appointments will support operational continuity, improve workload management and ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements,” a council report said.
Vosough began working on April 7, and as manager, he provides strategic leadership for the municipality’s planning and development initiatives and ensures they align with local and provincial regulations, the document noted.
As manager, he also plays an important role in delivering long-term land use strategies and ensuring compliance with the zoning bylaw, Official Community Plan (OCP) and other regulatory frameworks.
Hodson began working as a temporary planner 1 on May 7 and is responsible for processing residential development permit applications and assisting with community and land-use planning tasks, the report said.
Council included this temporary role in the 2025 budget to maintain service levels so the permanent planner 1 could focus on launching the city’s e-permitting platform and complete updates to the OCP and zoning bylaw.
Starchuk has been a building official since Aug. 1, 2023, while administration also recommended her as a development officer, the report said. The dual duties offer several benefits, particularly for a smaller municipality, since she can focus on streamlining reviews of zoning and building codes, improving operational flexibility and enhancing enforcement capacity.
Her dual duties also provide redundancy with delivering services during times when staff transition to new roles or there is increased workload, the report added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 9.
